The detachment of soft tissue, such as ligaments, tendons, and muscles, from their associated bones within the body are relatively common injuries. A number of devices and methods have been developed to re-attach soft tissue to bone including, screws, wedges, plugs, nails, pins, staples, cement, and sutures. In certain detachments, it is desirable to anchor one end of a length of suture inside a bone while the other end of the length of suture extends outside of the bone. The free end of the suture may then be used to re-attach the soft tissue to the bone.
Prior techniques for attaching soft tissue to bone are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,422 entitled “Bone Anchor and Method of Anchoring a Suture to a Bone;” U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,573 entitled “Suture Anchor Having Multiple Sutures;” U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,800 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Attaching Connective Tissues to Bone Using a Cortical Bone Anchoring Device;” U.S. Pat. No. 6,582,453 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Attaching Connective Tissues to Bone Using a Suture Anchoring Device;” U.S. Pat. No. 6,660,008 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Attaching Connective Tissues to Bone Using a Suture Anchoring Device;” U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,824 entitled “Apparatus and Method for Securing Suture to Bone;” and U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0149280 entitled “Surgical Procedures and Instruments.”
The prior devices and methods designed for attaching soft tissue to bone present problems to the medical professional and the patient. The anchor may “back out” of the bone implantation site over time, especially in softer bone sites, such as cancellous bone, or in bone tissue that has become compromised, such as in osteoporotic bone sites. Problems associated with the sutures of the prior devices include binding, tangling, inadvertent knotting or twisting, and the inability to maneuver the sutures independently.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an apparatus and method for attaching soft tissue to bone with high pullout resistance in various bone types while controlling the maneuverability and the placement of sutures.